Supporters of Escondido ballot measures outspending opponents

David Garrick

Supporters of two Escondido ballot measures have raised about 23 times as much as opponents of the initiatives and spent about 10 times as much, according to campaign contribution disclosure forms the city released Thursday.

The political action committee of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce raised $30,800 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 20 to support Proposition N, a proposed update of the city’s general plan, and Proposition P, which would make Escondido a charter city.

The committee, which had raised just $400 through September, spent more than $12,300 this month on a direct mail piece and yard signs supporting the two initiatives. One of the group’s donors said Thursday that another direct mail piece is planned before the Nov. 6 election.

Meanwhile, a group called Escondido Citizens Committee Against Proposition P raised $1,327 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 20, the period that Thursday’s disclosure forms cover. But the group didn’t spend any money during that time.

However, a slow-growth group called the Escondido Chamber of Citizens spent nearly $1,300 in late September on yard signs opposing both measures.

Dave Ferguson, a local land-use attorney whose firm donated $1,000 to the chamber’s political action committee, said the chamber has been asking members for contributions since the board of directors endorsed the two ballot measures last month.

Mayor Sam Abed, who has endorsed both measures, said he was pleased to see the business community get strongly behind the initiatives — especially Prop. N.

“The business community, the property owners and the residents feel strongly about Prop. N because it will create job opportunities,” said Abed, referring to zoning changes in the measure that would allow more dense development in downtown and along many commercial corridors. “It will completely change the future of the city.”

Other donors to the committee include the North San Diego County Association of Realtors, which gave $20,000, and George Weir Asphalt Construction, which gave $5,000.

Dolly McQuiston, president of the Chamber of Citizens, said it was frustrating that the fundraising disparity would allow the arguments in favor of the two measures to drown out the arguments in opposition. However, she said her group had grown accustomed to that.

“The business community is always going to outspend us because we’re a grass-roots organization,” McQuiston said.

She said her group opposes Prop. N because it believes the proposition would worsen traffic congestion and because it’s an attempt to undermine Proposition S, a slow growth measure city voters approved in 1998.

The Chamber of Citizens opposes Prop. P because it says the proposition would reduce wages for construction workers on city projects, contradicting the city’s goal of improving local job prospects and increasing the area’s median income, she said.